Current News

Friday8/8/2014

Moving day!

Faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Physical Sciences are busy moving into laboratories in the new wing of the science building that has just been completed (phase 1 of the science/math building renovation). New students and those returning for the fall semester will be the first to use these new modern labs. Caylor Hall is being vacated to prepare it for renovation, which is phase 2 of the project.

Laboratory classrooms located in the new building wing are general biology, anatomy and physiology, histology/parasitology, invertebrate biology, vertebrate biology, cell biology, DNA technology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, quantitative analysis, and instrumental analysis. New research labs have also been created, one of which will house a new scanning electron microscope that will become operational later this fall.

Some labs previously located in Caylor Hall, including genetics, microbiology, and ecology, will be in temporary locations until phase 2 is complete. These will move back into the renovated Caylor side of the building once that part of the project is finished.

Renovation of Caylor-White-Walters continues

Now that laboratories are being readied for fall classes, and Caylor hall has been vacated, renovation of Caylor-White-Walters Hall continues with phase 2 – renovation of the Caylor side of the building. When phase 2 is complete, labs and offices that are now in temporary locations will be moving back into new spaces in the Caylor side of the building. Phase 3, renovation of the Walters side of the building can then begin. When the entire project is finished, the Departments of Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics will a completely new facility.

Sciences receive scanning electron microscope

Students and faculty in the sciences will soon be better equipped to engage in diverse scientific research in biology, chemistry, and environmental science thanks to the acquisition of a new scanning electron microscope (SEM), attained with funding through a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Nina Baghai-Riding, as principle investigator on the grant, worked closely with the Office of Institutional Grants to secure the grant. A number of the scienc facutly collaborated in the grant proposal including: Dr. John Tiftickjian, Dr. Barry Campbell, Dr. Charles Smithhart, Dr. Jira Katembe, and Dr. Séverine Groh.

The instrument will be used for various research projects and in the classroom in courses such as anatomy and physiology, parasitology, plant anatomy, environmental chemistry, cell biology, and plant systematics.

The SEM magnifies images up to 300,000 times normal size, well beyond the capability of ordinary light microscopes and can also be used for x-ray analysis of samples to determine there elemental composition.

22nd Elliott-Nowell-White Science Symposium, Oct 8-10

The 2014 Elliott-Nowell-White Science Symposium will be held October 8-10. This year’s speakers will present on a variety of topics including: causes of cancer, vaccination in disease prevention, the roll of the physician’s assistant, biotechnology, and biological applications of polymers.

Fall Break begins

Monday10/20/20148:00 am

Classes resume after Fall break

Older News

Wednesday8/27/2014

Registration for Fall semester closes

Monday8/18/2014

Fall Semester classes begin

Classes begin. Most new students will register during summer orientation, but if you are not attending an orientation session, you can still register anytime before the semester begins. Register as early as possible to have the best class selection. New science majors who need registration instructions should call the Biological and Physical Sciences department office at 662-846-4240 or the Admissions Office at 662-846-4020.

Tuesday7/29/2014

Dr. Green attends Higher Education Resource Services Summer Institute

Dr. Ellen Green, associate professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, recently graduated from the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Bryn Mawr Summer Institute, held July 6-19 at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. The HERS Institute for Women in Higher Education has annually offered women faculty and administrators the opportunity to participate in an intensive program preparing them as leaders in higher education.

“One of the benefits of this experience has been that I now have a network of 72 women who are influential at their institutions,” said Green. “They will serve as a resource when I have questions and will alert me to future trends in higher education as they develop. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been selected to attend the HERS Summer Institute, and even though it was only two weeks, I feel like my understanding of higher education has advanced to the next level.”

Dr. Reza to teach in diverse Indonesian islands

Dr. A.H.M. Ali Reza, assistant professor of biology at Delta State, was recently selected to teach a field course this summer in a pristine biogeographical island group in Indonesia. The course is coordinated through the international agency Operation Wallacea and runs for eight weeks in remote field sites.

“I will be teaching Wallacea Forest Ecology in the Wallacea region of Indonesia, which is biographically extremely important to understand the origin and evolution of animals,” said Reza.

Wallacea is an essential biogeographical island group in eastern Indonesia, which includes Sulawesi Island. Reza said he truly appreciates the opportunity to study in one of the planet’s most unique locations.

Reza is also exploring opportunities to build international student exchanges between Delta State and universities in his homeland of Bangladesh.

36 science students complete degrees

At the recent Spring commencement, Delta State awarded degrees to 36 science students. Twenty-nine baccalaureate degrees were awarded in biology, five in chemistry, and five in environmental science. Two students received both biology and environmental science degrees, and one student received both chemistry and environmental science degrees.

Biology major Justin Badon receives First Diploma

At the recent Spring 2014 commencement, biology pre-medical major Justin Badon received a First Diploma. First Diplomas are awarded to graduating students with the highest grade point average on four years of credit from Delta State. Justin’s GPA was 4.0

Congratulations Justin!

Other first diploma recipients were Briana Davey (elementary education) and Kristen Williams (psychology).

Saturday5/10/2014

Three science majors receive Second Diplomas

At the recent Fall 2014 commencement, biology pre-medical majors Robert Barnes and Ben Lambert, and environmental science major Ryan Fulgham, received Second Diplomas. The Second Diploma, officially known as the Doyce Stallings Mitchell Diploma, is awarded to transfer students with the highest grade point average on two years of credit from Delta State.

Congratulations Robert, Ben, and Ryan!

The other Second Diploma recipient was Elizabeth Culberson, a speech and hearing science major.

Thursday4/24/2014

Alpha Epsilon Delta initiates 18 new pre-health majors

At their April 24th meeting, Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), the premedical honor society, initiated 18 new members for the 2014-2015 academic year.

21 Science Scholarships and Awards Presented for 2014-2015

A number of scholarships and awards are presented to science majors each year. These awards are funded by generous donations by alumni and other supporters of the sciences at DSU. The following are award and scholarship recipients for the 2014-2015 academic year.

DSU sciences to become two departments

Beginning with the Spring 2014 semester, the Division of Biological and Physical Sciences has been reorganized into two separate departments; The Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Physical Sciences. The Department of Biological Sciences will have responsibility for courses in biology and will offer bachelors degrees in biology and environmental science as well as the biological science concentration within the Master of Science in Natural Science degree. The Master of Applied Science in Geospatial Information Technologies will also be housed within this department. The Department of Physical Sciences will have responsibility for courses in chemistry and physics and will offer the bachelors degree in chemistry as well as the physical science concentration within the Master of Science in Natural Science degree.

During the Spring semester, Dr. John Tiftickjian will serve as Interim Chair of Biological Sciences, while Dr. Joe Bentley will serve as Interim Chair of Physical Sciences. Permanent chairs for the two departments will be appointed and begin their positions beginning July 1st, 2014.

The Department office will remain in its current location and Walters 180, and Ms. Barbara Knight will continue serving as the secretary for both departments.

Orientation slideshows available online

During the freshman and transfer student orientation sessions, incoming science majors register for fall classes. Academic advisors present a brief slide show to explain the programs offered by the science departments and guide the students through the registration process. The slides from those presentations are now available online in PDF format. (Note that these are relatively large files and may take a while to download depending on your internet connection.)